


No Mornings Without Coffee

by shadowsandspirits



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Albus Without Coffee Is A Disaster, Albus is a Weasley, Coffee Really Doesn’t Agree With Scorpius, Deserve The World, Family Bonding, Harry Potter Next Generation, Multi, Potter Siblings, Scorbus, The Potter Siblings Love Their Grandparents Very Much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24027397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsandspirits/pseuds/shadowsandspirits
Summary: Nothing says coffee like a morning with the Potter-Weasleys.Some say they have a problem, that they drink too much coffee. But if you’d ask a Potter-Weasley, they’d tell you that behind every successful person there’s a substantial amount of coffee and as long as there is coffee, how bad can things be?A collection of ficlets following different characters and their love and need for - or even lack of - caffeine.
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & Ginny Weasley, Albus Severus Potter & James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter & James Sirius Potter & Lily Luna Potter, Albus Severus Potter & Lily Luna Potter, Scorpius Malfoy & Lily Luna Potter, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 19
Kudos: 74





	1. Mother Brews Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say there's no place like home but to Albus there is no coffee like at home. Especially when his mother brews it and they can enjoy the first cup of the morning together - in these moments Albus thinks he might just be the happiest that he can be.

Ginny is sitting at the kitchen table with her muggle laptop in front of her. She typing away at one of the articles she’s working on. This might be one of her favorite parts of the day. She usually gets up before any of her other family members. The house is quiet as she lets in the owl delivering this morning’s paper and gets her muggle laptop. About an hour later she will hear soft footsteps making its way down the stairs and Albus Severus will be walking into the kitchen. 

Ginny looks up from her laptop as her youngest son walks into the kitchen. He yawns and rubs his eyes with his hand. His dark hair is a mess atop of his head, reminding her of how her husbands hair looks every morning that she wakes up next to him. A pair of sleepy, half closed brown eyes meet hers and he mumbles a soft good morning. 

She greets him with a warm smile before she gets up to make the both of them a fresh cup of coffee. The smell of fresh coffee beans fills the kitchen and she happily breathes it in. The smell of a new day. She hears Albus slump down into one of the chairs at the dining table. She walks over to her son, putting the cup of coffee down on the table in front of him. She presses a soft kiss to the crown of his head, wishing him a good morning, before handing him the newspaper that had been brought in by owl that morning. Albus breathes in the smell of freshly brewed coffee before opening the newspaper. 

Ginny takes place behind her laptop again, typing away at the news articles she has to check and approve for tomorrow morning’s paper. She peeks up at her little boy over the laptop screen as he scrunches his nose up at the article he’s reading. With a flick of her wand she summons his reading glasses, sliding it toward him.

‘I don’t need them,’ Albus mumbles as he doesn’t take his eyes of the newspaper. 

Ginny shrugs as she gets back to the article in front of her, checking for grammar mistakes. After a few minutes she hears Albus move, reaching out for the glasses case. Ginny flashes him an amused smile and he can’t help but sheepishly smile back at her, sticking out his tongue after. As his glasses are now balancing on his nose, he looks even more like his father. Though Albus might look like his father when it comes to his looks, except for the big, brown Weasley eyes, he’s much more like her in every way possible. 

Neither Ginny or Albus are big talkers in the morning, especially not before they have had their first cup of coffee. Both of them are fierce lovers and they experience their emotions to the fullest, but find it hard to express that through words. Their feelings come from a deep emotional place and can be a lot for them to bear. But they will keep it inside no matter what, having it build up until it’s too much for them to bear. As a child Ginny struggled a lot with opening up to the people around her. At home she was surrounded by all of her older brothers, always falling a bit more into the background. She felt repressed, overshadowed by her older brothers who were louder, causing trouble and getting her parents attention. So she mostly kept to herself, inside of her home as well as inside of her mind. 

It’s why, even at Hogwarts, she always kept to the background. She wasn’t used to getting attention. So she figured that if she’d stay quiet and in the back, no one would notice her and no one would ask her any questions. Though she felt alone, causing her to fall into this downward spiral that eventually led her into the arms of Tom Riddle. Her first years at Hogwarts were hard, it send her to a very dark and lonely place. Until Harry Potter came along. She’ll be eternally grateful for that game of exploding snap that he invited her to play. He showed her what kindness and love looked like. From that moment on she gradually started to feel more comfortable around people. Luna, Neville, Harry, Hermione even her brother Ron. She started to grow. She felt like she could be herself around the friends she made. 

For Albus the first years at Hogwarts, were a struggle. The fear Ginny had felt throughout those years was overwhelming. The feeling of slowly losing her little boy, feeling and seeing him slip away from her. She wanted to help him, to hold him, but he couldn’t let her. The feeling of not understanding what was going on inside of his mind, not being able to figure him out, was one of the worst things she had experienced in her entire life. Nothing compared to the feeling of losing your child. 

When he started to open up to her, after the horrible events of the 4th year at Hogwarts, he had told her how lonely he had felt in the last few years because he didn’t feel like he fit in at Hogwarts and neither did he feel like he fit in at home - with his family.

Until Scorpius came along. He had told her that Scorpius showed him what true friendship is he still does every single day that they are together or apart. He feels seen when he is around him. Scorpius accepts him for the person he is and it was exactly what he needed most. Scorpius is the person that he feels comfortable with, that gives him the courage and a safe space to find himself, to learn who he is and who he wants to be. Encouraging him to try out new things, to break old habits, to go out and explore the world that is around him. He was the light in the darkness that Albus needed, like Harry was Ginny’s light in the darkness, and she will be eternally grateful for the young Malfoy that came into her son’s life and made it that much brighter. 

Albus looks up at his mother and she can feel her heart swell when he smiles at her. She loves her son so incredibly much and she makes sure to tell him that every single day. She has no idea what she would do without him and her other beautiful children. She is grateful for every day that she gets to spend with them. 

Albus gets up, collecting both of their cups as he walks up to the counter to pour the second cup. He kisses his mother on the cheek as she gratefully takes the cup from him. Ginny prepares the first cup of coffee and Albus the second one, it’s tradition in their morning routines. After their first cup of coffee, they’re ready to talk. So like always Albus lets himself fall into the chair next to her as he pulls up his legs, balancing the cup of coffee on his knees. She carefully pushes the laptop away from the edge of the table before Albus rests his head against her shoulder, cuddling up to her. With her free hand she combs through the messy hair as they sit in silence for a while. It feels good to have her son back with her, to understand his mind a bit more, to hold him close to her. In these little moments she is the happiest she can ever be. 

‘What are you working on, mom?’ Albus breaks the silence. 

‘The announcement of your brother joining Puddlemere United as their new Chaser,’ his mother replies before she presses another kiss to his hair. 

‘You can’t write too many good things about him, mom.’

‘Why’s that?’ she asks as Albus peeks up at her from under his curls. 

‘He’s already got a big head, if you do that his broom might not be able to hold him up anymore,’ Albus replies and Ginny can’t help but laugh at her son’s remark.

Laughter rings through the kitchen, merging with the smell of fresh coffee beans, the recipe for a wonderful morning with coffee in the Potter-Weasley house. 


	2. Give it a Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a first time for everything. It was only a matter of time before a Potter would try and convince Scorpius to drink coffee - especially now with the short nights and long days filled with studying for exams. It's rough but life happens and coffee helps, as James Sirius Potter likes to say.

Albus is startled by the loud noise of books hitting the table that he is sat at. He looks up into a pair of brown eyes, identical to his. 

‘Unnecessary James,’ Albus mumbles as he rubs his eyes with his hands. 

‘You look absolutely terrible,’ James remarks as he sits down oppose Albus, putting his books in a neat stack in front of him. ‘Have you slept at all last night?’

‘Thank you,’ Albus mumbles as he glares at his older brother. ‘To answer your question. No, I did not sleep at all last night.’ He looks back down at the book that’s open on the table, History of Magic - the book he had fallen asleep on, once again. ‘I just can’t seem to concentrate on anything, especially not History of Magic which is probably my worst subject.’

‘That’s because it’s boring,’ James says as he starts filling up his plate with toast and eggs. 

‘History of Magic is  _ not _ boring,’ Albus says as he closes the book. ‘It’s actually quite interesting to know about-’

‘You sound like Scorpius,’ James mumbles, putting a spoonful of eggs into his mouth. ‘You are hanging out with him way too much.’ He manages to get out without spilling any of the eggs in his mouth. 

‘You are absolutely disgusting.’ Albus shakes his head as he rubs his eyes behind his glasses. ‘You are a hazard to Wizarding society and especially our family.’

‘You better watch your mouth, Albus Potter.’ James narrows his eyes at his little brother and points at him with his fork that has a big piece of toast on it, before stuffing it in his mouth. ‘I  _ will  _ send an owl to mom.’

‘I’m pretty sure she’d agree with me and-’ Albus ducks to avoid the piece of toast James throws his way. ‘Mom also tells us to never play with food, James Sirius Potter. Maybe  _ I  _ should send her an owl.’

‘I can just tell you have not had your first coffee yet,’ James raises his eyebrows as his little brother rolls his eyes, looking back down at his closed book. ‘See, that’s why you’re being such a grumpy little kid. You, my little brother, need some liquid energy.’

Albus looks back up again as his brother moves a cup of coffee his way. ‘I worked hard on this one. Freshly brewed, just the way you like it.’

‘I drink my coffee black.’ Albus deadpans, looking his brother in the eye. ‘You literally only had to pour it in the cup.’

‘Yes and I did that with a lot of effort and especially with a lot of love. So you best appreciate it, little Albus. Now go drink it and don’t speak before you finish it.’

Albus scowls as he takes hold of the cup with both hands, welcoming the warmth as the smell of coffee reaches his nose. He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to imagine the smell of coffee from back home. The smell of fresh coffee beans as he comes downstairs and his mother gives him his first cup of coffee, the kiss she presses on the crown of his head. The warmth and safety he has always felt when he’s around his mother, her loving smile and her strong embrace. There’s a pang in his heart when thinking of his mother, realising just how much he misses her. 

‘Good morning,’ a soft voice sounds from behind Albus. 

He looks up as Scorpius sits down next to him, putting his heavy bag down on the bench. Dark circles paint the pale skin under his eyes and the corners of his mouth are slightly pulled down. Albus is stressed about the exams, but it’s nothing compared to Scorpius. The blonde Malfoy is pulling all nighters, using the light of his wand to read books, write essays and practice incantations - causing Albus to not being able to fall asleep either. 

Firstly, because he doesn’t want his best friend to study on his own. So he sits oppose him, joining him in his all nighter study parties. Secondly, because Albus has a hard time falling asleep on his own. He hates how dependent he had become of Scorpius’ presence next to him. Always there whenever he had a hard time falling asleep, his warmth was comforting - Albus felt safe next to him. He has always felt safe next to Scorpius.

James whistles as he catches sight of Scorpius. ‘I thought Albus looked horrible, but next to you he looks like an actual ray of sunshine,’ James says, resulting into a kick in the shin by Albus. He glares at his little brother before continuing. ‘Usually it’s the other way around. What happened, little Malfoy?’

‘Just exams,’ Scorpius mumbles as he picks up a piece of toast, nibbling on it as his eyes focus on a dirty spot on the table.

‘You look like you’re about to crash at any minute,’ James says. ‘You need something to keep you awake. I think we got just the right thing.’

He winks at Albus, who lightly shakes his head. James rolls his eyes and nods at the empty cup in front of Scorpius. 

‘I’m surprised that as Albus’ best friend, he has never gotten you to drink coffee before. Seeming as it’s the only thing he drinks in a day,’ James grabs Scorpius’ cup and starts pouring some of the black coffee into it. 

‘That’s not true,’ Albus mumbles as he follows the cup with his eyes as James slides it back to Scorpius over the table. ‘Sometimes I drink water.’

‘You say coffee qualifies as water because it’s made with water, Albus.’ 

Scorpius looks to Albus, trying to suppress a giggle as Albus looks back at him, narrowing his eyes at his best friend with a slight pout on his face. Though it’s hard to keep the frown on his face, because seeing the smile on Scorpius’ face, him trying not to giggle at Albus’ desperate attempts at trying to justify his coffee addiction, makes his heart grow. 

Seeing Scorpius happy makes him happy, so it’s only natural that his lips perk up into a smile. Widening into a broad smile as Scorpius’ eyes meet his and he gently brushes the back of Albus’ hand underneath the table. Asking for his permission to hold it, though Albus could never deny himself the feeling of having Scorpius’ hand in his. A feeling so safe and comforting that he wishes he could bask in for eternity. He’d never want to be without Scorpius’ touch and if he could, he’d hold onto his hand forever. 

‘So,’ James snaps the boys back to reality, kind of feeling like he should have left, but also incredibly determined to have the blonde try his first sip of coffee. ‘About that coffee.’

‘James, I don’t drink coffee,’ Scorpius says. It’s taking everything in him to break his gaze away from Albus’ brown eyes so he can raise his eyebrows at James. 

‘Little Malfoy,’ James intertwines his hands as he puts them down on the table, slightly leaning forward as he looks at Scorpius with a serious expression. ‘If you want to be a part of our family, you will have to know the taste of coffee. It’s a rule in the Potter-Weasley book. Come on, give it a shot!' 

He chuckles at his own pun before Albus speaks again.

‘There’s such things, there's no rule book in-’ James cuts Albus off with a simple look. 

Albus looks in between Scorpius and James as they’re staring at each other with the steaming cup of coffee in between them. For a moment he thinks the both of them might be too stubborn to give in and they’d be sitting there until the coffee was too cold to be drank. A shame really, Albus thought to himself, almost tempted to grab the cup himself. 

‘Fine!’ Scorpius scrunches his nose up as he looks at the cup of coffee, the smell of the bitterness reaching up into his nose. Not being used to the bitter smell or taste as he only drinks tea that, Albus says, is way too sweet. 

He lets go of Albus’ hand to take hold of the cup, slowly bringing it up to his lips as both Potter brothers stare at him with a mixture of curiosity and excitement on their faces. Scorpius takes the smallest of sips and for a moment there’s a thick silence hanging in the air as they wait for his reaction. 

‘That’s not that-’ he says before pulling a face, his nose scrunching up in disgust, his tongue out of his mouth. ‘I take it back. That’s absolutely disgusting.’

Albus laughs as he fills up an empty glass with water, handing it over to Scorpius. The blonde takes big gulps of the water before putting it back down, a shiver going down his spine as he still tastes the bitterness of the coffee. 

‘How do you guys actually enjoy drinking that?’ he raises his eyebrows at both brothers.

James shakes his head, an amused look on his face as he holds up his cup filled to the brim with coffee, as if he’s going to hold a toast. ‘For a Potter, there is no morning without coffee,’ he says before taking a long sip. 


	3. A Brewtiful Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee connects people in a variety of different ways. It connects Ginny and Albus as nothing compares to a quiet coffee-filled morning before they start their day. It connects Scorpius and Ginny who share stories about those who are loved and lost. It connects Albus and Scorpius by teaching them to treasure every little moment and that the cure to a bad dream is a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning. But it also opens doors to new opportunities and to find new moments to treasure.

The sun was barely rising when Scorpius woke, the birds chirping softly outside the slightly open window. Albus was still fast asleep, his hair messily falling in front of his face. Scorpius smiled sadly, reaching over and brushing the curls away for him. Albus had had a bad night, waking often with nightmares and struggling to fall back to sleep. Scorpius wished there was more he could do to help, but Albus assured him his presence was enough.

Scorpius slipped out of bed, knowing Albus would be up soon - he never slept late at home (but at school it seemed like a whole different story). He made sure Albus was covered with the duvet before finding one of his hoodies to slip over his pyjamas. He walked on quiet, bare feet down the stairs, careful not to make too much noise. 

The sounds of the coffee machine whirring became clearer as he reached the kitchen and when he entered, Albus’ mum was sitting at the dining room table, opening her muggle laptop ready for the day. It seemed like the second he entered, Mrs Potter was ready to greet him as though she’d heard him coming the whole time.

“You’re early, coffee will be ready soon - oh, good morning,” she greeted, her tone rising slightly in surprise as she realised that Scorpius was not who she was expecting: Albus. 

“Good morning,” Scorpius greeted. “I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he added, taking a seat at the table where Mrs Potter gestured to.

“Of course you’re not, coffee? Oh - wait, I remember, Albus said you don’t like it, right?”

“Right,” Scorpius agreed, then smiled. “Is this the part where you kick me out?”

It was a relief when Mrs Potter laughed at his joke. “Not quite, though I will have to work on converting you.”

“I’m afraid Albus and James have already tried,” Scorpius said and sat down in the seat that Mrs Potter gestured to. She didn’t ask, but placed a cup of tea in front of him regardless. Scorpius smiled. “You remember how I take it?”

“Your mother used to take it exactly the same way.”

Scorpius was so shocked to hear Mrs Potter mention his mum that his mug stopped halfway to his mouth. He looked at her, at her soft brown eyes - a shade lighter than his own mums - but warm and loving all the same. No one had looked at Scorpius like that in a long time, like the way a mother looks at a son. No one had done that since he lost his own mum.

“I inherited her sweet tooth,” was all Scorpius managed, smiling at Mrs Potter. Scorpius picked up his mug again and took a sip of the tea, letting it warm his insides.

“I was quite surprised at how many sugars she took when she first came here for tea,” Mrs Potter began as she waited for the machine to finish. “It was back in your first year, she brought a whole bunch of different sweets, some she even made herself!”

Scorpius couldn’t help but smile, remembering the days when his mum would make a mess in the kitchen trying to bake sweets she’d never made before. She got better at it with time (and plenty of it) as it became a weekly thing, not that Scorpius ever complained about being the person who always taste-tested the sweets.

“Mum loved her sweets maybe even more than I do,” Scorpius said. “She would always say to me that sweets always help you -”

“- make friends,” Mrs Potter finished with him.

He couldn’t help the tears that welled in his eyes - happy ones - as he imagined his mum sitting in this kitchen - just as he was now - talking to Albus’ mum. He blinked them away as Mrs Potter sat next to him with her freshly brewed cup of coffee. 

“She was a great friend,” she spoke a little sadly. “And really knew how to keep your father in check,” Mrs Potter quipped, winking at him. The small ounce of sadness he was feeling made way for laughter. He certainly could not deny  _ that. _

When their laughter faded, Scorpius said, “Albus is still asleep, I was going to take him a coffee up, I know what he’s like in the morning, if that’s okay with you?” He didn’t want to take this moment from Albus and his mum, Albus had once mentioned how it was when he felt happiest. Scorpius chewed on his bottom lip as he waited for her to finish taking a sip to answer him.

“Of course it’s okay, Scorpius. Albus and I get every morning but you’re only here for today, I’ll let you have him just this once,” she winked at him. “Anyway, if I know my little boy, he’ll be waking any moment so,” Mrs Potter stood and made her way over to the coffee machine. She poured some coffee into a mug and brought it over, placing it in front of Scorpius.

“Just the way he likes it,” Mrs Potter said and Scorpius smiled. “He’ll be ready for his second one in about twenty minutes, I’d say.”

Scorpius stood and clutched his own tea and Albus’ coffee in his hands, thanking Mrs Potter before making his way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to Albus’ room, careful not to spill any of the piping hot drinks. He awkwardly opened Albus’ door with his elbow, very nearly losing some of Albus’ coffee (which would be a disaster, Scorpius would rather sacrifice his tea over not giving Albus a full cup first thing in the morning).

When he opened the door, Albus was just rising, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he looked at the intruder, smiling softly when he saw it was Scorpius.

“Was wondering where’d you’d gotten to,” he mumbled sleepily as Scorpius crossed the room.

Scorpius smiled. “For the record, I do not approve of this amount of caffeine first thing in the morning,” Scorpius says as he hands Albus the freshly made cup, still steaming. Albus sits up sleepily and takes the cup, sipping it instantly.

“I must be dreaming,” Albus mumbled, “but my boyfriend bringing me coffee in bed is the best dream I could ever have.”

“Not quite dreaming,” Scorpius said as he settled next to Albus with his own tea, running a hand through his curls once more. “I just heard a rumour one time that there’s no mornings without coffee in the Potter household.”

“That rumour is definitely a fact,” Albus quipped.

Scorpius traced a finger around the top of his mug, staring directly at the drink as though it was the most fascinating thing in the world. “If you want to go downstairs and spend time with your mum, I can read a book,” he said, finally looking back at Albus.

Albus smiled softly at him, scooting slightly closer and pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. “What did I do to deserve such a thoughtful boyfriend?”

“I feel like we just have to treasure those little moments,” Scorpius said, thinking of the same moments he used to share with his own mum.

“I’m treasuring this moment, right now.” Scorpius felt his cheeks heat up, but the smile he wanted to have didn’t come. Albus seemed to notice. He leaned forward and ran a thumb over Scorpius’ cheek. “How about we go and treasure that little moment together?”

Scorpius looked at him with wide eyes. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“You won’t be intruding. Spending time with my mum is the one time I always feel happy and spending time with you is another time I always feel happy. You’re a part of my life now, Scor, whether you like it or not -” Scorpius snorted - “and it would be a privilege to share that with you.” Albus stood and extended a hand to Scorpius. “So, what do you say?”

Scorpius’ heart felt ten times bigger, overwhelmed with the love he felt for the boy standing in front of him. He took his hand and gave a small nod. “Okay,” he agreed, “but only because you were so sweet about it.”

Albus let out a beautiful laugh as he tugged on Scorpius’ arm to lead him downstairs. “I might even make you a second tea because yes, there may be no mornings without coffee in the Potter household, but I don’t believe there’s ever been a morning without tea in Scorpius Malfoys world either.”


	4. Not Their Cup Of Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus loves his grandparents and Scorpius loves listening to the stories about the two people that his boyfriend loves most. But when he’s invited for some coffee and freshly baked muffins by Mrs Weasley, nerves settle in. People often tell him he worries too much, that he worries about the smallest and most irrational things. But what if they don’t like Scorpius? What if two of the most important people in Albus’ life think he’s not good enough - not good enough for their grandson? What if he doesn’t find a way to tell them he doesn’t drink coffee?

Scorpius is holding Albus’ hand tightly, as if it’s the only thing keeping his feet on the ground. Keeping his mind in focus, preventing it from running away with him, making him wander to places inside of his mind he’d rather not go. The nervous feeling in his stomach is overwhelming, making his hands shake, his heart beat faster and his legs wobbly. 

He looks at the Burrow, the home of Mr Weasley and Mrs Weasley Weasley, Albus’ grandparents. The home of Ginny Potter nee Weasley, of Ron Granger-Weasley and the many other uncles of Albus. Albus always says that the Burrow feels more like a home to him than his parental home has ever done. He visits his grandparents all the time when he’s home from Hogwarts. He often lays his head down in Scorpius’ lap and as Scorpius plays with his hair, he tells him about his grandparents and the house. About the smell of baked goods that greets you at the door as soon as you enter. The warmth of the house that wraps itself around you like a heated blanket, giving you a feeling of comfort and safety. For him there is no other place that makes him feel as safe and happy like the Burrow does.

Scorpius loves hearing the stories about Mr Weasley and Mrs Weasley Weasley and their home. It has always made him wonder what it would be like to be there, though he feels like he knows his grandparents and it feels like he has already been at the Burrow — just because Albus’ stories are always so vivid, so clear and so descriptive. But the truth is he has never been here and he has never met Albus’ grandparents other than having seen them for a brief moment when they came to bring the Potter siblings to the train station on September 1st when their parents had to go into work unexpectedly. Standing here in the cold winter air, in front of the Burrow, Scorpius can feel nothing but nerves. He’s never been the best at meeting new people. His mind tends to wander off, questions flooding his mind constantly for about a week prior. What if they don’t like Scorpius? What if two of the most important people in Albus’ life think he’s not good enough? Not good enough for their grandson? 

Albus had constantly tried to make him feel better, noticing how Scorpius’ mind was wandering to places unknown to Albus. Places Albus was afraid he couldn’t reach if he didn’t hold his hand tightly enough. Albus knew how caught up Scorpius often gets in his bad thoughts. He showered Scorpius in kisses, hugs — keeping him grounded, keeping him in the present. He had constantly told him how wonderful he was and if he could see that so would his grandparents. 

Scorpius looks sideways to Albus, who is still looking up at the Burrow. There’s a spark in his eyes and a smile on his face, his face glowing in the soft sunlight that’s shining through the clouds on this cold winter morning. His nose and cheeks red from the cold air. His hair hidden under a green Slytherin beanie and inside of his way too big winter coat, he looks incredibly small. The image of his boyfriend is enough to make his heart melt, to make him forget about his nerves for just a moment. Albus catches his eyes. The smile on his face broadens and Scorpius fears that if he smiles even wider, his face might just break. 

‘Don’t you just love the winter?’ Albus says, turning to face Scorpius completely.

‘I’m honestly more of a summer kind of person. Sunshine, flowers, butterflies and your freckles,’ Scorpius says as he plants a soft kiss on Albus’ cheek. 

Though his cheeks were red from the cold already, his face managed to turn a whole new shade of red, all thanks to Scorpius. Albus scrunches his nose as he wraps his arms around Scorpius’ waist, looking up at him with a slight pout on his face. 

‘My grandparents don’t know about us yet. But I have no idea how I’m going to survive the day without holding your hand or kissing you or-’

‘Turning bright red every time I say something nice?’ Scorpius suggests, his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face. His nerves and fear seeming to have fade a bit under the gaze of his boyfriend.

‘You’re unbelievable,’ Albus whispers as he reaches up onto his tiptoes, trying to reach Scorpius’ face. 

‘If you two are going to be like this all the time. Grandma and grandpa will know within a second and you won’t even have to tell it to them yourself,’ James’ voice sounds from behind them — having appeared in front of the Burrow together with Lily Luna. 

Albus rolls his eyes fondly, raising his eyebrows in fake annoyance as he turns around to face his older brother. ‘If you’re going to be talking all day I might just have to beat your ass in a Quidditch match right now.’ 

James gasps. ‘Is that a challenge, Albus Severus Potter? Because I will take it and I will have Scorpius on my team.’ 

Lily Luna throws her hands up in the air, offended by her brother’s choice of picking Scorpius over her. ‘I can’t believe you wouldn’t pick me. We’re always in a team together!’ 

‘Don’t worry, Lil. We’re going to beat them.’ Albus sticks out his tongue at his brother before putting his hand on Scorpius’ lower back, reducing his voice to a whisper as he looks up at him. ‘Are you okay?’ 

Scorpius smiles down at him, grateful to have the three Potter siblings by his side. ‘I’m okay.’ 

And he  _ is _ okay. As soon as they enter the house, Mrs Weasley Weasley comes to greet them. She pulls her grandchildren in a big, tight hug — one that Albus says he loves so much even though he’s not a big fan of hugs. Scorpius watches the faces of the Potter siblings glow as their grandmother kisses their cheeks and asks them how they are doing and he can’t help but smile at the joy and love on their faces. Though the nerves build up with every one of the siblings she greets, because that means she’s closer to greeting Scorpius — and Scorpius has no idea how he’s supposed to greet her. 

Mrs Weasley turns to face Scorpius, a sweet smile on her face as her kind brown eyes catch his. The same brown eyes as Albus, the same brown eyes as the rest of the Potter siblings. Brown eyes that make him feel at home, because the Potter-Weasley family had been there for him in those first years at Hogwarts that were really tough for him. Albus follows every single movement closely. Even though he said he wasn’t nervous for his grandparents to meet Scorpius, he could see it in the boy’s face, he wanted the both of them to like each other badly — seeming as they’re his favourite people in life. 

‘Hello sweetheart,’ Mrs Weasley walks over to him, holding out both of her hands for Scorpius to take. 

Her hands warming his cold winter hands, her smile warming his heart, the smell of baked goods filling his senses and a feeling of home overwhelms him. A smile spreads out onto his face and before he knows it Mrs Weasley has her arms wrapped around his shoulders — pulling him close to her, gently and carefully not to hug him too tight so she won’t scare him off . He can see Albus flinch slightly, knowing how Scorpius is very distant around others when it comes to touching. But he gives his boyfriend a reassuring smile before melting into Mrs Weasley Weasley’s touch. 

‘How are you doing, sweetheart?’ she asks, taking hold of his hand again. She gestures for the children to follow her to the kitchen where Mr Weasley is sitting at the kitchen table as she’s guiding Scorpius along with her. 

‘I’m good, thank you mrs. Weasley. How are you doing?’ 

Mrs Weasley smiles as she squeezes his hand and Mr Weasley gets up, greeting all of the children with a hug. 

‘I’m doing wonderful. Thank you dear. I’m so happy you could make it.’ 

‘Thank you for the invite, it was really kind of you. Albus tells the most wonderful stories about your home and the magical creatures roaming your garden- and about you of course!’ He quickly adds as he smiles at Mr Weasley who has joined his wife. He quickly reaches out his free hand, shaking Mr. Weasley’s as he thanks them again for inviting him.

‘We are happy to have you here. We also hear the most wonderful stories about you, Scorpius. It’s very nice to get the chance to properly meet you,’ Mr Weasley says.

Scorpius eyes find Albus behind his grandparents, his face flushing when they mention the wonderful stories he has told them about him. Sparking curiosity inside of the blonde Malfoy, who can’t help but grin as he looks back at Mr and Mrs Weasley. ‘I’m curious to find out about all the stories Albus has told you about me.’ 

‘We’ll be able to discuss that over coffee and some freshly baked muffins,’ Mrs Weasley says, winking at him before turning to her other grandchildren. ‘Are you kids playing some Quidditch before coffee and muffins?’

‘If that’s fine with you of course, grandma,’ James says as he wraps his arm around her shoulders, kissing her on the cheek. ‘We’re here for you after all.’ 

‘Oh go on already,’ Mrs Weasley says as she shoos James away from her— but the smile on her face betrays her, telling them she loves the affection her grandchildren give her. ‘Go have some fun and I’ll call you in when everything’s ready. Take it easy and try not to hurt anyone.’ She looks at Albus and James, knowing how competitive the two of them get whenever playing a game, before she turns to Scorpius. ‘They’re just as competitive as their mother.’ 

Albus walks up to Scorpius as they enter the garden. ‘Please don’t ask about the stories I tell my grandparents about you, I will not be able to handle that.’ Scorpius chuckles as he watches Albus taking his hat off and places it on Scorpius’ head. ‘I don’t want you to get cold.’ He mumbles as he fixes the slightly loosened scarf around his boyfriend’s shoulders.

* * *

After an hour of playing Quidditch, Scorpius can hardly feel his hands anymore — hating to admit that maybe he should have listened to Albus when he told him to bring gloves. He feels like his nose might have frozen off after about 15 minutes of being outside. Ever since then he had not been sure if it was still there, if it was still attached to his face. Incredibly grateful for Albus’ hat for keeping his ears warm. Snow had started falling down half an hour ago and Scorpius shakes his head and shoulders to remove the white flakes from his coat and hat. 

James and Albus are still going strong when Mrs Weasley calls out to them to say coffee and muffins are ready. Lily Luna makes her way over to Scorpius, floating next to him as the both of them watch James and Albus go shoulder to shoulder, Albus holding the bludger tightly in his arms, the both of them completely forgetting about their teammates not being there anymore. 

‘They truly are the worst,’ Lily Luna sighs as she shakes her head but Scorpius can hear the affection in her voice. She meets his eyes as she points at the brothers diving after James purposely bumped into Albus, making him drop the bludger. ‘One day their competitiveness is going to end with them in the emergency room.’ 

Scorpius giggles as he looks from the boys to Lily Luna to the Burrow where Mrs Weasley is waiting for them. suddenly feeling incredibly nervous. He knows it’s a minor thing and he shouldn’t be nervous about it, but unlike the Potter-Weasley family, he doesn’t drink coffee. He can’t stomach the bitter taste of it, even with a lot of sugar cubes and milk. A shivers runs down his spine when he thinks back to the time Albus had challenged him to take a sip of it. He’s not quite sure which had been worse, the black coffee James had given him or the coffee with lots of milk and sugar that his boyfriend had given him. But coffee didn’t agree with Scorpius and he has no idea how to tell Albus’ grandparents that without being afraid that he might sound rude. 

‘Shall we go in? I’m absolutely freezing and I could eat about a dozen of muffins by now.’ Lily Luna brings Scorpius back to reality and they both descends to the ground, putting away the brooms in the shed. 

She hooks her arm trough Scorpius’ and they walk back to the Burrow together. He can’t help but sigh in relief when he walks inside and the warmth embraces him immediately. Slowly giving him his feelings in his hands and nose back as Lily Luna points him toward the kitchen table, telling him he is free to take a spot on it as she helps her grandmother to get the drinks and muffins ready.

Scorpius takes place at the table, having lost all courage to tell Lily Luna or maybe even Mrs Weasley, that he doesn’t drink coffee. If Albus was here he’d hold his hand, kiss him on the cheek and tell him it’s not something to worry about that much. Albus knows Scorpius and the way he tends to overthink the simplest of things. 

He’s twisting his thumbs as he tries to contain the nerves slowly spreading throughout his entire body. Making his leg move up and down repeatedly, his breathing growing rapid and he’s biting his lip. Normally Albus would be here to hold his hand, keeping him from either twisting his thumbs or wringing them together. He’d place a gentle hand on his leg, his touch giving him comfort and helping him calm himself down, even if it was just a little. He’d run his thumb over Scorpius’ bottom lip, keeping him from chewing on it, after which he’d press a soft kiss on them. But Albus is still outside and Scorpius is sat at the table on his own. 

He can hear the soft voices of Lily Luna and Mrs Weasley as they talk while preparing the drinks and the muffins. Lily Luna is putting the warm muffins on a plate when her eyes catch Scorpius’. She swallows a bite of the muffin she had grabbed from the plate when Mrs Weasley pretended not to look before sending him a warm and bright smile. Possibly knowing how nervous he has been this whole time. Lily Luna has a gift for reading people, she always knows when someone’s not feeling well and somehow she knows exactly what they need. Whether it’s just a shoulder to cry on, someone that will listen to them as they vent, to be alone or a hug, she just knows. 

‘Are those other boys still outside?’ Mr Weasley enters the room again, sitting down on the other side of the table as he spreads out a muggle newspaper. 

‘They are,’ Scorpius answers, sending Albus’ grandfather a polite smile. ‘They’re quite competitive. I don’t think they will give up on a win very soon.’

‘Are they like this at school?’ 

Scorpius chuckles when thinking of how many times madam Hooch has to tell the Potter brothers to get off the Quidditch field when James invites Albus over to play a game after his practice with the Gryffindor team.

‘They are,’ Scorpius says, nodding his head. ‘They haven’t gotten in  _ real  _ trouble just yet, but I wouldn’t put it past them.’ 

Mr Weasley laughs before putting his glasses on to read the newspaper. ‘They really remind me of my little girl. Their mother. She was extremely competitive and the boys had nothing on her, if I’m being honest. They tried, but they couldn’t beat her, Charlie was the only one that came close.’ 

Mrs Weasley and Lily Luna are carrying two trays filled with mugs and muffins toward the kitchen table. She puts one down in front of Mr Weasley, who gives her a soft kiss on the cheek as he whispers a ‘thank you’. 

‘These are for those two troublemakers, which I should probably call again, and then I have two tea’s. One for you dear,’ Mrs Weasley puts a mug filled with tea in front of Scorpius, squeezing his shoulder lightly. ‘And one for my little butterfly.’ 

Lily Luna sits down next to Scorpius as she takes the mug from her grandmother. Scorpius frowns as he looks at the mug that she has put down in front of her, in it tea with milk, before he looks back up at her. 

‘It’s got milk and sugar in it, just the way you like it,’ she says softly, nodding at the mug in front of Scorpius. ‘I know you don’t like coffee and I know you’ve been too nervous to tell my grandparents and I know you probably don’t want to be the only one to have another drink because you don’t want to be a burden — which you’re  _ not _ -’ Lily Luna puts emphasis on her ‘not’ before wrapping her hands around her mug. ‘-so I thought we could drink some tea together.’ 

For a moment Scorpius has no idea what to say, lacking the right words to express how grateful he is for her. How  _ right _ she is about everything she had just said — about Scorpius not wanting to be a burden by asking for something else than coffee, about him not wanting to be the only one to drink something differently, no matter how stupid that may sound. But Lily Luna knew. She remembered and she did this so he feels included, part of them,  _ part of the family _ . 

His heart bursts with love and appreciation for the girl with the red hair and the bright smile next to him. To have someone as kind hearted and considerate like Lily Luna as his friend is a true gift to him.

Mrs Weasley gets back from calling the boys. She sits down, giving the others at the table one of the freshly baked muffins when the backdoor opens and Albus and James barge into the kitchen, out of breath and covered in snow. James shoves Albus playfully, his face peppered in show which, no doubt, had been done by Albus. Their laughter fills the air as Mrs Weasley gets up from her chair, waving the boys back to the doormat. 

‘Keep the snow outside!’ She tells the boys off as they step back, guilty looks on their face but an elated smile still spread across it. 

Scorpius looks at Albus. Snow has gotten stuck inside of his messy hair, his face - especially his nose and cheeks - red from the cold winter air that had been hitting him while flying on his broom or maybe even from getting hit in the face with a snowball thrown by his older brother. The elated smile on his face so wide and bright that it lightens up his entire face, as well as Scorpius’ entire world. His nose slightly scrunching up, his freckles hidden under the little flocks of snow that are now melting because of the heat in the Burrow. 

Mrs Weasley shakes her head, smiling at the two brothers as she gives them a towel. Albus wipes his wet face off, trying to dry his hair and only making a bigger mess of it. His curls are all over the place and his brown eyes finally find Scorpius’ eyes. He shrugs off his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack, trying to get his shoes off and nearly falling over from the speed he’s trying to do it with. 

James pushes him but he wasn’t expecting Albus to be as fast as he was, grabbing James before the both of them crash to the floor. 

‘Boys!’ Mrs Weasley calls out to them over the grunting sounds of James and Albus trying to work the other to the ground, playfully punching each other. ‘Coffee is ready!’ 

James and Albus fall silent, looking up at their grandmother who is holding their mugs of hot coffee. The smell of fresh coffee beans now filling the entire kitchen. Lily Luna gives Scorpius a look before rolling her eyes fondly. He can’t help but chuckle at the two Potter brothers on the floor and their little sister being done with them. The two of them scramble up from the floor. James walks over to Lily Luna, shaking his hair and making drops of water fall onto her. She screams as she pushes him away from her. 

Mrs Weasley puts the mugs down on the table, sitting down oppose Scorpius again as she rolls her eyes — making Scorpius realise just how much Lily Luna looks like her grandmother. His eyes then follow Albus as he takes off his second shoe. His green sweater looking cozy, the urge to wrap his arms around Albus and cuddle up close to him almost too much for Scorpius to bare. Albus quickly walks over to the table, bending down toward Scorpius and pecking him on the cheek. Scorpius holds in his breath as Albus freezes, his face only inches away from him — realising what he has done only seconds after he had  _ done _ it. 

He sits down next to Scorpius, slightly slumping down in his chair. Scorpius had no idea it was possible, but somehow Albus had become even more red in the face than he was before. He grabs the mug, trying to hide his face behind it as he takes a big gulp of the coffee — but that was a mistake. He quickly puts the mug back down, sticking his tongue out as he breathes in and out. 

‘I bwurned my twongue,’ Albus manages to get out. 

Mrs Weasley tuts as she gets up to grab her grandson a glass of water. She puts it down in front of him as she squeezes his shoulder, bending down to give him a kiss on the cheek. ‘You know your grandfather and I love you very much, right?’ She says softly. ‘No matter what, we will always love you.’ 

Albus looks at Scorpius for a brief moment and then looks up at his grandmother. Before he knows it she has embraced him into one of her tightest hugs.

‘Are you drinking tea?’ James break the silence that followed, as he looks into Lily Luna’s cup, his nose scrunched up in disgust. He hisses in pain as he bends down to rub his shin, where Lily Luna has kicked him.

‘Sometimes a Potter  _ can _ have a morning without coffee,’ she says, smiling at Scorpius - making his heart grow with her kindness.


	5. Bitter Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The powers of a man’s mind are directly proportional to the quantity of coffee he drank and Albus needs his coffee to function and acquire the powers of his mind. So when he accidentally sleeps in and there’s no time for a visit to the Great Hall, he has an entire morning to get through… without his first cup(s) of coffee.

Albus runs through the dungeons of Hogwarts. He hoists his way too heavy bag back onto his shoulders as he quickly makes his way up the stairs. He’s cursing at himself for staying up too late last night to read through the Charms homework for today, cursing at himself for not doing it earlier and cursing at himself for oversleeping even though Scorpius had woken him twice before he had left to get breakfast himself. 

He sighs with relief when he sees a tall blonde boy walking a bit further down the entrance hall, rushing up to him to catch up with his best friend. He gently takes hold of his upper arm as he joins Scorpius. He’s trying to catch his breath as the both of them stand still to the side of the crowd, resulting in a short laugh from Scorpius. 

‘What did I tell you about procrastinating so much that you have to stay up late to catch up with homework?’ Scorpius says, his voice light and cheerful - making Albus feel slightly better on his chaotic morning. 

Albus huffs. ‘The homework I’m getting for Advanced Potions is taking up all my time. Charms had to wait, but I’m here now. Do you think there’s still time for me to grab a quick coffee from the Great Hall?’ 

‘Albus class is starting and we will be late,’ Scorpius shakes his head at Albus’ pout and big eyes, trying to convince him to let him get a coffee. ‘There’s no time. You will have to get through the morning without your morning coffee.’

Albus lets out an exaggerated sigh as Scorpius takes hold of his arm, dragging him along with him toward the Grand Staircases - keeping him from running into the Great Hall. 

‘I’m not sure if I can go a morning without coffee,’ Albus grumbles as he lets his best friend guide him up the moving staircases, nearly bumping into him when one of them starts moving.

‘These are the consequences to your actions and you will have to deal with it.’

‘Scor, you know coffee helps maintain my ‘never killed anyone’ streak.’

‘You, my dear Albus, have a problem with caffeine,’ Scorpius says as they walk into the Charms classroom, he politely greets the professor as he and Albus walk to their table in the back. 

‘I don’t have a problem with caffeine,’ Albus mumbles as he grabs his quill, ink and parchment before looking up at Scorpius sitting next to him. ‘I have a problem  _ without  _ caffeine.’

Scorpius chuckles as he shakes his head - finding the dramatic behavior of his best friend rather amusing. He knows how passionate Albus is about his coffee but he never fails to surprise him at just  _ how _ passionate he is. Passionate  _ and  _ dramatic. 

‘If you die,’ Scorpius says before the professor calls for silence in the classroom. ‘The doctors will find traces of blood in your coffee stream.’

‘Was that a coffee joke?’ Albus looks at his best friend with raised eyebrows and an amused grin on his face. He starts poking Scorpius in the sides, making him squirm, trying to get away from Albus’ hands. ‘Are you joking about my love and need for coffee, Scorpius Malfoy?’ 

‘Mister Potter. Mister Malfoy. Please, will you pay the attention that you are giving each other to me during class?’ professor Flitwick calls out.

Both boys turn toward the table. Albus can feel all eyes on them and he can feel his own face heating up. 

* * *

After what feels like hours, but probably is only about 30 minutes, he can feel a headache settle in as he looks at his empty parchment, the voice of the professor vaguely in the back, but not quite registering with Albus’ mind. The scratching of quills on parchment all around him is making it hard for him to focus. The annoyance growing in his chest as one of the students seems to be coughing every two minutes. He tries his best not to snap, his hand wrapped tightly around the quill that he’s not using. Knowing that the lack of focus and concentration is due to the fact that there is no caffeine in his system. Showing just how dependent he is on his morning coffee.

He rests his head in his hand, twisting his quill in his other hand as he’s trying to focus on what the professor is telling them about the locomotion charm. He can slowly feel his head grow heavier and before he realises it, his eyes are closing - until he feels someone push his arm slightly. 

Albus’ elbow slides off the table, making his head fall forward and his eyes shooting wide open in surprise. He can hear soft giggles coming from Scorpius as he looks at him, his eyes shooting daggers. But he can’t help but smile at the amusement on his best friends face. He shakes his head before turning back to his parchment. Still no notes.

An eternity later his attention is caught by the rustling sound of Scorpius leg that is continuously moving up and down. He tries to ignore it but he can feel his own hands growing restless as annoyance blossoms inside of him, his fingers twitching as the rustling only seems to be growing louder and louder. In an impulse he rests his hand on Scorpius’ leg, making him stop moving it up and down. 

‘I’m sorry,’ Albus mumbles as he pulls back his hand as fast as he can. ‘Your leg- The rustling- The sound that your leg was making is making me nervous.’

He can feel his cheeks flush as he stumbles over his words.  _ Like an idiot,  _ Albus thinks - wishing for the ground to swallow him whole. He has no explanation for his red face and the tongue tripping. It’s not like he has never touched Scorpius but all of a sudden he was incredibly aware of everything around him. The scratching on parchment, the coughing, the soft whispers and  _ Scorpius’ presence.  _

His best friend - who is sitting right next to him. From the corner of his eyes he peeks over at Scorpius. He’s back to being focused on writing down his notes. The frown on his face shows the concentration he has as the quill is scratching on the parchment. His handwriting neat. A lock of blonde hair falls in front of his face and Albus has to keep himself from pushing it back. Albus loves the feel of Scorpius’ hair through his fingers, it’s soft and it’s calming when Scorpius is lying in his lap, reading his book as Albus plays with his hair. The way Scorpius looks up to him, that little spark in his eyes. It’s everything to Albus and-

‘Albus?’ 

Albus is being pulled back to reality by a hand on his arm. He shakes his head lightly before catching Scorpius’ eyes. 

‘Are you okay?’ he says - an attempt at whispering, but much too loud to actually  _ be  _ a whisper. Scorpius never managed to master the art of whispering and no matter how hard he tried, the people around him can always hear exactly what he’s saying. Right now it causes a hard look from the Gryffindors sat in front of them. 

Albus’ eyes drift off to Scorpius’ hand on his arm, suddenly aware of just how tingly his stomach starts to get, as if a hoard of butterflies is being released. His mind is getting foggy, the only thing he can think about being the hand that’s resting on his arm. The way his skin burns under the touch of his best friend, burning but somehow craving more. Craving the warmth and comfort of his touch. Like Albus told himself before, it’s not as if Scorpius and Albus never touch, so why does he feel so different right now? He swallows hard, trying his best to tear his eyes away again - trying to force himself to look at the parchment before him. Cursing his mind for being such a mess, for being all over the place. 

‘I’m fine,’ he whispers back. Fighting the urge to reach out for Scorpius’ arm, or hand - just wanting to be close to him, to feel his touch. Professor Flitwick announces the end of class and Albus gets up, gathering his stuff, pushing them inside of his bag. ‘Let’s just get to Transfiguration and Potions.’

* * *

Albus lets out a big sigh as he looks at the concoction in his cauldron. It looks nothing like the description in his book and he has no idea what he has done to make it this way - or what he hasn’t done to make it look that way. 

‘Looks like maybe you really do need that coffee in the morning,’ Scorpius says, chuckling as Albus scrunches his nose up. 

‘I have no concentration whatsoever and everything is driving me absolutely insane,’ Albus mumbles as he throws his bag onto his shoulder. ‘My body is working against me as is my mind, which is all over the place, and I’m not sure if I can handle this much longer.’ Albus lets out an exasperated sigh as Scorpius gets up from his chair. ‘I. Need. Coffee.’

‘A little moody now, aren’t we?’ Scorpius wraps his arm around Albus’ shoulders as he pulls him in. ‘Don’t worry, my dear Albus. Lunch is upon us and the first thing we’ll get you is a steaming cup of coffee. I’ll even give it my best engorgio.’

‘Well, consider me engorgimpressed!’ Albus says, his voice mimicking Scorpius’ as he does. 

Scorpius stands still, his mouth and eyes wide open as he looks at Albus. ‘That is  _ not _ how I sound and that is  _ my _ joke, Albus Severus Potter!’ 

Albus giggles at the sight of Scorpius’ face, holding his hand out for him to take. ‘Oh come on, it was just a little joke, Scor!’ He pouts as Scorpius looks at his outstretched hand but doesn’t take it - sighing before making his way back to him. He takes in a deep breath, trying to steady his heartbeat as he looks up into Scorpius’ eyes. ‘You already know how moody I get when I don’t get my coffee so please just hold my hand, hug me and tell me how wonderful I am.’

‘You, Albus Potter, are unbelievable.’ Scorpius shakes his head fondly before wrapping his arm around Albus’ shoulders again, pulling him close. 

‘Thank you,’ Albus mumbles as he wraps his arms around Scorpius’ waist, burying his face into his sweater. Basking in his warmth. ‘Now you just have to tell me how wonderful I am.’

Scorpius’ shoulders shake and his laughter rings in Albus’ ears, the sound of it making his heart grow a hundred times bigger. He can feel his friend press a kiss to the top of his head before ruffling his hand through his messy hair. 

‘You truly are wonderful, Albus. There’s no denying that,’ Scorpius says softly. 

Albus sighs contently. ‘Thank you for that,’ he says as he looks back up at Scorpius. ‘Now let’s go. It’s almost lunchtime and I need you to engorge me a huge cup of liquid gold.’

‘You really can not go a few hours without coffee,’ Scorpius shakes his head in disbelief and he rolls his eyes fondly - following Albus out of the classroom.

‘Sometimes I go hours without coffee,’ Albus says as he stumbles into a Gryffindor student, the small amount of concentration he had left was completely focused on Scorpius. He smiles at her as he mumbles an apology - before looking back up at his best friend. ‘It’s called sleeping.’

‘Like I said, you’re unbelievable.’ Scorpius grabs Albus’ arm as he pulls him out of the way of a group of Hufflepuff student approaching them from the opposite direction. 

‘But you love-’ Albus starts before Scorpius keeps him from tripping over a loose rock. ‘-me nonetheless.’

‘All I know is that I don’t think I can ever live through you being deprived of your caffeine ever again.’ He grabs Albus’ hand to keep him from walking past the Great Hall - dragging him inside. 

Albus rushes to the Slytherin table. He bumps into another Gryffindor, Scorpius apologises to them on Albus’ behalf, as he is being pulled along. They sit down and Albus reaches for an empty cup, pouring coffee into it. 

‘I know what experience I never want to live through again,’ Albus mumbles as he picks up the cup, too impatient to wait for Scorpius to use engorgio. He takes a sip from the too hot coffee, burning his tongue in the process, but closes his eyes contently. ‘A morning without coffee.’

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are enjoying this series, surrounded around coffee, as much as I have been enjoying coming up with different ideas and writing them out. I keep coming up with ideas so I hope you are ready for many more ficlets to come. It's always nice to know what people think about the ficlets that I write, so please don't hesitate to leave a comment, no matter how small it is. It's always much appreciated!


	6. how it’s always bean and how it always will be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mornings were a special thing in the Malfoy-Potter household, even the mornings they cannot spend together. Long shifts and overtime hours at the hospital means Scorpius can’t always be next to his fiancé as they wake up together, but he can hope that coffee and a blueberry muffin can make it just a little bit better.

Usually the sunrise puts Scorpius in a wonderfully spiritual mood, a spring in his step, a smile on his face. That was, however, when he hadn’t just finished an eighteen hour shift, working long past when he was supposed to be working. Deciding that apparition would be too dangerous in his fragile state of exhaustion and knowing Albus closed the floo overnight, Scorpius had no choice but to take a range of public transport home.

He didn’t mind it all that much, in fact he found the change rather soothing. Still being the early hours of the morning it was still quiet enough to not set off his anxiety. As he hopped off his last bus, the sun was just entering the sky, a little too bright for his headache. The rest of the way home was a short walk, a nice finish to his long journey.

His body felt heavy as he began walking, the bag on his back far too heavy and his glasses beginning to irritate his eyes. He wasn’t used to wearing them for such a long period of time and that didn’t help with how dry and tired they were also. Scorpius passed the coffee shop, just opening its doors, before backtracking and entering the small, homely cafe.

He and Albus had an argument the night before, nothing serious - they never argued about anything serious. Scorpius had called saying he had to work overtime and Albus was a little upset their evening plans were ruined, which Scorpius couldn’t blame him for. He was a little annoyed at himself also and worked the rest of his shift with a very heavy heart, wanting nothing more than to go home and apologise and hug his fiancé until they both felt better.

Maybe Scorpius couldn’t give him and Albus that time back, but he could try and make it better in little ways. Albus liked to wake early and take the dogs for a walk, which means he’ll be getting up anytime soon.

“Good morning, Angie,” Scorpius greeted the owner of the coffee shop. They’d only lived in the small town for a few months but had instantly become acquainted with Angie, if only because of Albus’ coffee addiction. 

“Ah, Scorpius, hello!” she greeted enthusiastically. She was clearly much more awake than he was. She came from around the counter to give him a brief kiss on the cheek. “Are you having the usual?”

“Not for me, just Albus’ usual order please,” he said, eyeing up the selection of sugary goods, his mouth watering at the sight of the muffins. “And two blueberry muffins please.”

Angie sent Scorpius a knowing look with a smile before bagging up the two muffins for him, then handed him over Albus’ coffee. They had a quick conversation whilst he paid before he was back into the breezy sunny street and walked the rest of the way home.

As he entered, he tried to keep the dogs as quiet as possible as he quickly fed them, hanging up his coat and placing his shoes on the shoe rack. He then grabbed the coffee and muffins and silently headed up the stairs and into his and Albus’ bedroom.

“Al?” Scorpius whispered as he opened the door, the room still dark aside from the small shine of sun coming through from the slight gap in the curtains. “Albus?” he said again, watching Albus slightly stir. Scorpius entered the room further and kicked the door shut behind him.

“You’re back,” Albus mumbled sleepily, barely finding the energy to rub his eyes.

“And I come bearing gifts,” Scorpius replied, settling on the bed, placing the bag with the muffins in between them. 

“You are a gift all on your- is that coffee?” he asked, gesturing to Scorpius’ other hand.

Scorpius smirked, “oh this? Nope, this is just warm milk for me.” He took a pretend sip and Albus rolled his eyes at him.

“Please don’t play with my feelings like that,” he begged, looking up at him with his big eyes, curls falling carelessly into his face. He pouted at Scorpius and he couldn’t help but lean forward and give him a peck on the lips. The pout turned into a full grumpy face, his nose scrunched and eyebrows furrowed together.

“It’s all yours,” Scorpius said, a full grin on his face as he handed Albus’ coffee over. “Even if you do look incredibly cute like that.”

Albus took the coffee and took a grateful sip as Scorpius got out the muffins for the both of them. Scorpius held out the one to Albus and smiled. “I’m really sorry. I should have been here last night and... I hate so much that I wasn’t. You deserve so much better than that, Al.”

“Hey, no,” Albus replied, moving onto his knees and coming closer. Albus accepted the muffin with a little smile. “I deserve you, and I’ve got you,” he took a brief pause as he looked at the muffin then back at Scorpius. “I am so sorry for getting upset,” he replied. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that. Especially because you were probably stressed and way more irritated about having to work longer than I was. And I hate fighting with you so much.” 

“Me too,” Scorpius replied as he picked at his muffin. Scorpius shuffled a little closer to Albus, desperate for his touch. “I understand, Albus. I know my shifts are crazy right now, I’m going to try and work something out so I can be here more.”

“You don’t need to do that, you love your job,” he said, also shuffling closer and taking Scorpius’ hand. “But you don’t need to worry about me. We’ll figure this out just like we figure everything out. Together, right? That’s how it’s always been and how it  _ always _ will be.”

“You and me against the world, right?”

“Always.”

Scorpius nodded, feeling tears prickling in his eyes. Albus took his glasses off for him and placed them on the side. He then leaned back and opened his arms to Scorpius, an invitation for him to lie down on Albus. Scorpius climbed under the duvet and cuddled up to Albus.

Growing up, in the early stages of their relationship, Scorpius had convinced himself that Albus would eventually leave him, he would grow bored of Scorpius’ anxious ways, decide he needed someone better, someone present. Scorpius couldn’t always be present, physically now with the new job, but mentally too. There were days when his anxiety ate away at him, took him off to a whole new planet and Scorpius was worried Albus would get bored of trying to reach him. Yet, every single time, Albus held his hand, or hugged him tightly, and showed no sign of fleeing.

And for that, Scorpius loved him more than he could even fathom. He loved him so much that it hurt his chest, even years down the line. He was so thankful to have a boy with a big heart by his side no matter what, as long as Scorpius brought him coffee, of course. 

"I love you," Scorpius mumbled, his voice slightly muffled against Albus' side. "For being so patient with me."

"Of cou- wait, was that a healer pun?" Albus asked.

Scorpius couldn't help but let out a little giggle. "Maybe."

"You're ridiculous," Albus responded, a fond smile on his lips. He ran a hand through Scorpius' hair, soothing the other boy into a gentle sleep. "I love you," he said, "for bringing me coffee because there are no mornings without coffee."

Scorpius snorted. "Don't I know it," he said before drifting off into a gentle sleep, letting Albus stroke his hair and hold him tight, feeling safe and at home in his arms.


End file.
